BLODTÅR – Monark, CD

Back in 2021, Blodtår announced themselves with a self-titled EP steeped in black metal mysticism. The following full-length, “Det förtegna förflutna” (2023), revealed a project capable of refined structure and melodic discipline without sacrificing intensity. Now, on their third release, the Stockholm-based duo ventures deeper still.

Where earlier works balanced woodland atmosphere with icy composure, “Monark” is driven by something more volatile. Conceived in the aftermath of a personal tragedy, the album took shape with uncompromising urgency. The opening track, “Blodtår”, emerged directly from that moment, setting the tone for a work which moves through overwhelming spiritual pain toward a fragile yet undeniable light.

Musically, the folk-infused melodic language remains central – particularly across the first half – but now intertwines with passages evoking older, more archaic currents reminiscent of early Enslaved and Falkenbach. Norse-tinged motifs surface alongside the band’s established Scandinavian melancholy, while the latter half explores tonal shifts that feel brighter, though never unscarred. Beginning in darkness and concluding in illumination, “Monark” traces recurring cycles of mental collapse and resurgence with unflinching honesty.

Tracklist: (with translations):

1 – Blodtår (‘Blood Tear’)
2 – Till min sista viloplats (‘To My Final Resting Place’)
3 – Paradis (‘Paradise’)
4 – Det slutar i lågor (‘It Ends in Flames’)
5 – Monark (‘Monarch’)
6 – Nu är det synd om de döda (Kraja cover)
7 – Bland kvällens skuggor ännu vandra (‘Still Wandering Among the Evening Shadows’)
8 – Den eviga isen (‘The Eternal Ice’)